Thursday, March 31, 2011

His greatest memory? (at Mount St Charles - same school that produced Bryan Berard)

"Winning the state championship, of course," he said. "Beating Hendricken again for that was a fun moment for me and for our team. I have a lot of great memories of Mount. There was so much success with the program and I was fortunate to be part of it."

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

With their loss to NJ, the Isles technically drop to 14th in the East. They have the same record as Florida (29-36-12) and both teams have 25 non-shootout wins. However, Florida earned 5 points in the season series with the Isles while the Isles earned 4 so the Panthers are technically ahead.

The Isles would reach 80 points if they win their last five games. However, they would have fewer non-shootout wins than any of the three teams that current have 80 points. The Isles can currently finish anywhere from 23rd to 29th place.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Andy Greene beat Rick DiPietro from the left face-off circle with 4:56 to play as the Devils spoiled a two-goal third period from Frans Nieslen and defeated the Isles 3-before 16,252 at the Prudential Center. The Devils, who avoided playoff elimination with the victory, handed the Isles their third consecutive regulation loss for the first time since late January.

Two Early FightsFor the second straight game, there were two early altercations as Zenon Konopka fought David Clarkson and Matt Martin squared off with Jay Leach. Konopka's bout gave him an 255 penalty minutes on the season. He is the first Islander to reach that total since Rich Pilon in 1997-98.

Kovy Scores FirstIn between the fights, Ilya Kovalchuk tallied his 28th goal of the season. It was the Devils' first goal in 178:12, ending their longest scoreless streak since moving to New Jersey.

It's J-o-s-e-f-s-o-nJacob Josefson made it 2-0 when he scored early in the second period. It was Josefson's eighth NHL point; four of them (2-2-4) have come against the Isles.

Frans TimeThe Devils protected the 2-0 lead until midway through the third period when Frans Nielsen scored two goals to tie the game. Nielsen picked off an errant Devil pass at 9:38 and converted an unassisted shorthanded goal. 4:06 later, he scored again off a goal mouth scramble to tie the game. The shorthanded tally was Frans' 7th of the season, tying Bob Bourne's club record set 30 years earlier. It's his first two-goal game of the season and gives him a career high 13 goals; he has four goals and two assists in the last six games.

Greene Wins ItIt took longer to confirm Nielsen's goal (via video review) than it took for the Devils to regain the lead for good at Greene's winner came just 80 seconds after Nielsen's second goal. The Isles continued to pressure, but could not get even. 3-2 Final.

Top 5The Islanders have five players with at least 18 goals: Grabner 31, Moulson 30, Tavares 27, Comeau 21, and Parenteau 18. The quintet has combined for 127 of the Islanders' 208 goals (61%) this season. It is the first time in 14 games this month that one of the five has not scored a goal.

Leading ManFrans Nielsen now leads the entire NHL in shorthanded goals (7) and points (8). Only seven NHL teams have more shorthanded goals than Nielsen. The Isles lead the NHL with 14 shorthanded goals; it's the most that they have had as a team since they scored 17 in 2001-02. Nielsen is the first NHLer since Mike Richards two seasons ago to record seven shorties, equaling the most by any player since the NHL lockout. No player since expansion has managed to score 7 shorthanded goals while having fewer than 7 in all other situations.

Missing MichaelThe Islanders played with Michael Grabner, who was at the hospital awaiting the birth of his first child. Grabner, who was scratched in four of the first 11 games, had played 65 straight games.

200 Shot ClubMichael Grabner had has 211 shots on the season; it's the third-highest total for a rookie in Islander history. The Islanders now have three players (Tavares 218 and Moulson 216) with 200 shots in a season for the first time since 2006-07 (Blake, Satan and Yashin). Grabner is the first Islander rookie with at least 200 shots in a season since David Volek had 229 in 1988-89.

Rookies Who Have Led Isles in Goals1. Billy Harris - 28 in 1972-73, 2. Mike Bossy - 53 in 1977-78, 3. Trent Hunter -25 in 2003-04 (tied with Mariusz Czerkawski) 4. Kyle Okposo-18 in 2008-09.Grabner currently has the team lead with 31.

Second-Half SurgeDespite the loss, the Islanders are 14-9-5 since the All-Star Break and are 24-18-7 in their last 49 games

Growing Up TogetherThe Islanders have had five players record their 100th career point, all of them in Islander uniforms, this season.· Frans Nielsen's two goals give him 118 points (37-83-120), tops among healthy Islanders.· Blake Comeau has 117 career points (53-64-117).· John Tavares has 115 points (51-64-115). He is the youngest player in Islander history to record 50 goals and the second youngest player (Bryan Trottier) to record 100 career points. · Kyle Okposo assisted on Nielsen second goal and now has 114 points (44-70-114).

· Veteran defender Radek Martinek has 101 career points (20-81-101)With 229 points, Trent Hunter (injured) is the only player on the current roster to have recorded more points in an Islander uniform.

Matt Moulson has 106 career points; however, his first ten points came as a member of the Los Angeles Kings.

Career YearsA number of Islanders are either close to or have assured themselves of career years in key offensive categories: (Unless otherwise noted, the career high was set last season)

Home and RoadThe Isles are 29-36-12, and are 13-19-7 on the road. They are 25-26-9 under Jack Capuano, including 24-18-7 in the last 49. Their 70 points is nine more than they managed in the entire 2008-09 season; they are four points behind last season's pace.

The Devils are 35-36-5, and are 19-15-3 at home

Sharing the WealthThe Isles are 24-18-7 in their last 49 games, and all six goalies that the Isles have used this season have wins during that stretch (Montoya 8, DiPietro 5, Roloson 4, Poulin 4, Koskinen 2, and Lawson 1).

In the NetsRick DiPietro, starting consecutive games for the first time December 9th-11th, made 17 saves but drops to 8-12-4 on the season. He is tied with Al Montoya for the team lead in wins. DiPietro is 127-129-33 on his career, with a 13-11-3 record against the Devils. DiPietro is 1-6-0 in his last seven starts.Martin Brodeur made 27 saves to improve to 22-24-3 as he tries to avoid the first losing season of his career. It is career victory #624 (tops in NHL history); he has defeated the Islanders 48 times, more than any other opponent.

Power PlaysThe Islanders went 0-2 on the power play while the Devils were 0-5. The power play is 0-10 in the last three games and 1-20 in the last six games, while the penalty killer have killed 17-of-20 in the last six games, while scoring four shorthanded goals.

Shutting Down the DevilsThe Islanders held the Devils to 20 shots, matching their fewest against the Isles since having only 16 on November 2, 2006. Ilya Kovalchuk had 8 of the Devil shots.

Lots of PIMsKonopka has 255 penalty minutes while Martin has 135. It's the first time since the 1997-98 season that the Isles have had at least two players with at least 135 penalty minutes. (Pilon 291, Bryan McCabe 145, Paul Kruse 138).

In the Circle The Islanders won only 18 of 43 (42%) face-offs. Frans Nielsen won 6 of 10.

Missing MenMark Streit, Mike Mottau, Trent Hunter, Kevin Poulin Doug Weight, Andrew MacDonald and Mark Eaton are all out for the season, while Milan Jurcina and Bruno Gervais also missed the game with injuries. Michael Grabner was awaiting the birth of his baby so Trevor Gillies played for only the 2nd time in the last 21 games. Dylan Reese and Mark Katic returned to the squad to replaced Jurcina and Gervais. The Isles have lost 534 games to injury and 25 games to suspension this season.

Youth GroupThe six Islander defensemen entered the night with only 739 games of NHL experience, with 447 of those games belonging to Radek Martinek. Five current Devils had more experience than the entire Islander defense.

Missing MacThe Isles are 1-13-3 in games that Andrew MacDonald has missed this season.

IronmenMatt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 159 games since joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have played every game this season; his 89-game streak includes the final 12 games last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 57 NHL games (all consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the Isles.

In Like a Lion, Out Like a LambThe Isles started March 6-1-4, but have lost three straight to fall to 6-4-4 with one game to play. The 16 points in March is one shy of the 17 that they earned in 2005-06. They have not earned more than 17 points in March since 1988 when they earned 19 points in March.

No HitterThe Islanders out-hit the Devils 7-6.

Season Series StatsThe Devils win the season series four games to two and eight points to six. The Devils won 2 out of 3 in both Uniondale and Newark, with one win in each site coming in overtime. The teams met three times this month and the Devils won all three games by a 3-2 score.The Isles were outshot 90-58 in their three games in New Jersey this season (14-35 on December 23rd, 15-35 March 12th and 29-20 tonight).

Happy Anniversary31 years ago today (March 30, 1980): Butch Goring recorded his first hat trick with the Islanders and offset a hat trick from Quebec's Real Cloutier as the Isles defeated the Nordiques 9-6 at LeColisee. Goran Hogosta, who played 9 minutes for the Isles in 1977-78 to combine with Billy Smith for a shutout, was in goal for Quebec.All-time, the Isles are 4-9-1 on this date, but have dropped seven straight (0-7-0) since a 2-1 win in 1993.

Up NextThursday, March 31 Vs New York Rangers 7:00pm[MSG+ (Subway Islanders Game Night at 6:30), WRHU 88.7FM]The Islanders return home to face the Rangers for the final time this season, with the Rangers having already won the season series, by taking four of the five meetings. The Rangers have outscored the Isles 25-16 this season, including 21-10 in the last four games.Both teams will be coming off 1-goal losses on Wednesday night. The Rangers lost to Buffalo 1-0 and dropped into 8th place in the Eastern Conference. Henrik Lundqvist has had a strong season for the Rangers; he has recorded the last 18 Ranger win against the Isles. Kevin Weekes (4/6/2006) was the last Ranger other than Lundqvist to defeat the Isles.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources. Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

...he called his hometown newspaper in Timmons Ontario to tell them about his recall. Timmons is a town of about 43,000 people (although it cover over 1100 square miles --an area slightly bigger than Rhode Island)

from the Timmons Times<<

Mark Katic called up to the Islanders for another gameBy Mike Mulryan, Times Sports ColumnistUpdated 6 hours ago

At 5:00 p.m. today (Tuesday) Mark Katic called me to let me know he has been called up again by the New York Islanders for tomorrow's game versus New Jersey. Mark's Mom and Dad are on their way to Portland thinking they are going to watch Mark in an AHL game. Mark is trying to get a hold of his parents to let them know to head to Long Island instead to watch him play in the NHL instead. Here's hoping Mark stays and finishes the season with the Isles.>> Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

The Devils could be eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs as early as tonight if they do not beat the Isles. (They are mathematically alive no matter what happens in other games if they win.)

If the Isles win in OT/SO: (Maximum points for NJ would drop to 86)==> The Devils would be eliminated if Buffalo beats the Rangers (any type) -- eight teams would have at least 87 and the most the Devils could reach is 86)

If the Isles win in regulation: (Maximum points for NJ would drop to 85)==> The Devils would be eliminated if Buffalo earns a point vs. Rangers (eight teams would have at least 86), OR==> Carolina beats Montreal (giving the Canes 84 points and guaranteeing that either Buffalo or Carolina reach 86 - they play each other on Sunday)

(The Regulation OT win tiebreaker does not factor against NJ in any of these situations)

Buffalo would jump over the Rangers with a regulation win tonight; both teams would have 87 points in 77 games, but the Sabres would have one more ROW.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Sunday, March 27, 2011

James van Riemsdyk scored three goals for his first career hat trick as the Philadelphia Flyers continued their recent success over the Islanders, beating the Isles 4-1 before 15,458 at the Nassau Coliseum. It is the first time since late January that the Isles have lost consecutive games in regulation.

First, the FightsThere were two separate altercations in the first 21 seconds as Micheal Haley fought Daniel Carcillo off the opening faceoff and Zenon Konopka battled Sean O'Donnell. Konopka's bout gave him an even 250 penalty minutes on the season. He is the first Islander to reach that total since Rich Pilon in 1997-98. It is the sixth highest total in club history. There was only lone fight in remaining

59:39 as Matt Martin fought O'Donnell with just under 8 minutes to play. Martin

also received a ten-minute misconduct for his trouble. Martin, who led the Isles with six hits, now has 281 hits on the season (3rd in the NHL).

Flyers Strike Twice…QuicklyThe Flyers grabbed a 2-0 lead in a 22 second span of the first period. Jeff Carter beat Rick DiPietro off a face-off win by Claude Giroux, who was playing in his 200th NHL game, for his 34th goal of the season, and 19th in 38 career games against the Isles. Van Riemsdyk then scored his first goal in ten games to give the Flyers a 2-0 advantage.

Comeau Gets the Isles on the BoardBlake Comeau got the Isles on the board at 10:28 of the opening period with his 21st goal of the season. It's the first time that Comeau has tallied 21 times in a single campaign since he did so for the Kelowna Rockets of the WHL in 2005-06. However, van Riemsdyk restored the two-goal difference at 13:25 when he converted a pass from Andrej Mezaros. The Flyer defensemen appeared to intentionally shoot the puck wide of the net and it came out the other side, where "JVR" was waiting to bang it home.

Hat TrickFollowing a scoreless middle period, van Riemsdyk completed his hat trick, and the scoring, with a power play tally midway through the third period. It was his 19th goal of the season, and fifth in 10 career games against the Islanders.

Top 5The Islanders have five players with at least 18 goals: Grabner 31, Moulson 30, Tavares 27, Comeau 21, and Parenteau 18. The quintet has combined for 127 of the Islanders' 206 goals (62%) this season. At least one of the five has scored a goal in every game this month – 13 in all.

200 Shot ClubMichael Grabner had two shots on goal and now has 211 shots on the season; breaking a tie with Denis Potvin for third place in Islander history among rookies. The Islanders now have three players (Moulson 213 and Tavares-217) with

200 shots in a season for the first time since 2006-07 (Blake, Satan and Yashin). He is the first Islander rookie with at least 200 shots in a season since David Volek had 229 in 1988-89.

Rookies Who Have Led Isles in Goals1. Billy Harris - 28 in 1972-73, 2. Mike Bossy - 53 in 1977-78, 3. Trent Hunter -25 in 2003-04 (tied with Mariusz Czerkawski) 4. Kyle Okposo-18 in 2008-09.Grabner currently has the team lead with 31.

Second-Half SurgeDespite the loss, the Islanders are 14-8-5 since the All-Star Break and are 24-17-7 in their last 48 games

Growing Up TogetherThe Islanders have had five players record their 100th career point, all of them

in Islander uniforms, this season.· Frans Nielsen has 118 points (35-83-118), tops among healthy Islanders.· Blake Comeau's goal gives him 117 career points (53-64-117).· John Tavares now has 115 points (51-64-115). He is the youngest player

in Islander history to record 50 goals and the second youngest player (Bryan Trottier) to record 100 career points. · Kyle Okposo's has 113 points (44-69-113). · Veteran defender Radek Martinek earned an assist on Comeau's tally; he

has 101 career points (20-81-101)With 229 points, Trent Hunter (injured) is the only player on the current roster

to have recorded more points in an Islander uniform.

Matt Moulson has 106 career points; however, his first ten points came as a member of the Los Angeles Kings.

Career YearsA number of Islanders are either close to or have assured themselves of career years in key offensive categories: (Unless otherwise noted, the career high was set last season)

Home and RoadThe Isles are 29-35-12, and are 16-17-5 at home. They are 25-25-9 under Jack Capuano, including 24-17-7 in the last 48. Their 70 points is nine more than they managed in the entire 2008-09 season; they remain two points behind last season's pace.

The Flyers are 45-19-10, and are 24-9-4 on the road. The 24 road wins match a Flyer team record, set in 2002-03. They now have 100 points on the season; it the first time that they have done this in 74 games since the 1985-86 season.

Sharing the WealthThe Isles are 24-17-7 in their last 48 games, and all six goalies that the Isles

have used this season have wins during that stretch (Montoya 8, DiPietro 5, Roloson 4, Poulin 4, Koskinen 2, and Lawson 1).

In the NetsRick DiPietro, playing for just the second time since February 2nd, made 18 saves but drops to 8-11-4 on the season. He is tied with Al Montoya for the team lead in wins. DiPietro is 127-128-33 on his career, with a 7-13-0 record against the Flyers.Calder Trophy candidate Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves to improve to 27-11-6.

Power PlaysThe Islanders went 0-4 on the power play while the Flyers were 1-1. The power play is 0-8 in the last two games and 1-18 in the last five games, while the penalty killer have allowed goals in three straight games for the first time since December 16-22.

Power ShortageThe Isles have been held to one goal in consecutive games for the first time since November 20-21.

Shutting Down the FlyersThe Islanders held the Flyers to 22 shots, their fewest against the Isles since having only 17 on November 17, 2007. It's the fewest Flyer shots at the Coliseum since April 2, 2006 (when they also had 22).

Lots of PIMsKonopka has 250 penalty minutes while Martin has 128. It's the first time since

the 1997-98 season that the Isles have had at least two players with at least 128 penalty minutes. (Pilon 291, Bryan McCabe 145, Paul Kruse 138).

In the Circle The Islanders won 33 of 56 (59%) face-offs. Frans Nielsen won 9 of 13.

Nice to See the Barn (Nearly) FullThe crowd of 15,458 was the third-largest of the season at the Coliseum.

Missing MenThe Isles announced on Friday that Andrew MacDonald would not play again would not play this season due to a hip injury. Mark Streit, Mike Mottau, Trent Hunter, Kevin Poulin and Mark Eaton are also out for the season, while Doug Weight remains out. Trevor Gillies is eligible to play but was a healthy scratch. The Isles have lost 525 games to injury and 25 games to suspension this season.

Missing MacThe Isles are 1-12-3 in games that Andrew MacDonald has missed this season.

IronmenMatt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 158 games since joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have played every game this season; his 88-game streak includes the final 12 games last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 56 NHL games (all consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the Isles.

Cappy's First 59Jack Capuano drops to NHL .500 with a 25-25-9 record. Only four other coaches in

Islander history who coached at least 50 games have at least a .500 record (Al Arbour, Peter Laviolette, Steve Stirling, and Ted Nolan). Capuano has earned 59 standings points – more than any coach in Islander history who did not start the

season behind the bench.

March to the FinishThe Isles are 6-3-4 in March with two games to play. The 16 points in March is one shy of the 17 that they earned in 2005-06. They have not earned more than 17 points in March since 1988 when they earned 19 points in March.

Season Series StatsThe Flyers continue their recent dominance over the Isles. The Islanders are 1-16-4 against Philadelphia since February, 2008. This season the Flyers have won all five meetings, with three of the five games being decided by a single goal. The Flyers won all three Coliseum tilts this season and are 10-1 in their

last 11 trips to Long Island (Isles are 1-8-2 in same stretch).

Happy Anniversary33 years ago today (March 26, 1978): In the makeup of a game snowed out six weeks earlier, the Islanders rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Minnesota North Stars 6-3 at the Coliseum. Bob Nystrom scored two goals and added three assists while Bob Bourne also added a pair of goals. The game was played on Easter Sunday; the Isles did not play another Sunday home game until 1990 and would not win another game on Easter Sunday until Pat LaFontaine ended the Easter Epic at 1:58 in the morning of Easter Sunday 1987.All-time, the Isles are 8-7-1 on this date.

Up NextWednesday, March 30 @ New Jersey 7:00pm[MSG+2 (Subway Islanders Game Night at 6:30), WRHU 88.7FM]The Islanders head to Newark for the final meeting of the season with the Devils. The Isles won the first two meetings of the season, but the Devils have taken the last three meetings, including a pair of 3-2 victories this month (in a shootout at the Coliseum and in overtime at The Rock). New Jersey has outshot

the Islanders 155-100 shots over the five games.

Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

(If Carolina gets an ROW, they will have 82 points; they have a game remaining with Buffalo, meaning one of those teams is guaranteed to get two additional points. If Buffalo wins that game they would have a minimum of 85; if Carolina wins they would have 84. However, Carolina would win tie-break over Isles (either by ROW or by season series); If both Carolina and Isles earn SO wins, Carolina would have 82/31 and most Isles could get is 84/31; however Carolina and Buffalo play each other, guaranteeing that one reaches at least 84/32.

A Sabres OT/SO loss would not eliminate Isles (if Isles win in regulation). Isles could then match Sabres at 84/32 and Isles have won season series.

OT/SO points make this confusing. ROWs make it plain silly.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Friday, March 25, 2011

Former Islander Rob Schremp scored the winning goal on a second period power play and the Atlanta Thrashers held the Isles to only seven shots in the first two periods, and fifteen shots in the game, as they defeated the Islanders 2-1, before 11,874 at the Nassau Coliseum. It's only the second time in the last 12 games [6-2-4] that the Isles have been beaten in regulation.

Well Done, LaddAndrew Ladd converted a Blake Wheeler pass for the only goal of the first period and his 27th goal of the season. The Thrashers outshot the Isles 12-3 in the first period.

Tavares Gets Isles EvenThe Isles tied the game as a Travis Hamonic shot was tipped off the post by PA Parenteau. John Tavares rifled the rebound home just 98 seconds into the second period for his third goal in the last six games and his 27th goal of the season. Schremp Gets the WinnerSchremp's 2nd goal as a Thrasher, and 12th goal of the season proved to be the winner as he beat Al Montoya from the top of the left face-off circle at 13:56 of the second. The Islanders have outscored their opponents 83-78 in the middle period; they have been outscored 122-154 in the rest of the game.Scoreless ThirdThe Isles threatened late in the game, and spent the final 33 seconds with a 6-on-4 power play. However, they could not find the equalizer as the game ended. 2-1 Final.Top 5The Islanders have five players with at least 18 goals: Grabner 31, Moulson 30, Tavares 27, Comeau 20, and Parenteau 18. The quintet has combined for 126 of the Islanders' 205 goals (61%) this season.200 Shot ClubMichael Grabner continues to fire the puck. He had five shots on goal and now has 209 shots on the season; the Islanders now have three players (Moulson and Tavares) with 200 shots in a season for the first time since 2006-07 (Blake, Satan and Yashin). He is the first Islander rookie with at least 200 shots in a season since David Volek had 229 in 1988-89.Grabner's Chase of the Record BooksMost Goals, Islander Rookie1. Mike Bossy 53 (1977-78)2. Bryan Trottier 32 (1975-76)3. Michael Grabner 31 (2010-11)Grabner needs one goal to tie Trottier for second place on the all-time rookie goal scoring list.Most Shots on Goal, Islander Rookie1. Mike Bossy 235 (1977-78)2. David Volek 229 (1988-89)3. Denis Potvin 209 (1973-74)4. Michael Grabner 209 (2010-11)Grabner would need to average 3.9 shots per game to break Bossy's record.Rookies Who Have Led Isles in Goals1. Billy Harris - 28 in 1972-73, 2. Mike Bossy - 53 in 1977-78, 3. Trent Hunter -25 in 2003-04 (tied with Mariusz Czerkawski) 4. Kyle Okposo-18 in 2008-09.Grabner currently has the team lead with 31.Second-Half SurgeDespite the loss, the Islanders are 14-7-5 since the All-Star Break and are 24-16-7 in their last 47 gamesA Great 14 WeeksThe Isles were 5-18-5 on the morning of December 16th. Since then, they are 24-16-7 for 55 points. Among Eastern Conference teams, only the Capitals (25-10-6 for 56 points) have more points during that stretch.Growing Up TogetherThe Islanders have had five players record their 100th career point, all of them in Islander uniforms, this season.· Frans Nielsen has 118 points (35-83-118), tops among healthy Islanders.· Blake Comeau has 116 career points (52-64-116).· John Tavares had a goal and now has 115 points (51-64-115). He is the youngest player in Islander history to record 50 goals and the second youngest player (Bryan Trottier) to record 100 career points. · Kyle Okposo's goal has 113 points (44-69-113). · Veteran defender Radek Martinek has 100 career points (20-80-100)With 229 points, Trent Hunter (injured) is the only player on the current roster to have recorded more points in an Islander uniform.

Matt Moulson has 106 career points; however, his first ten points came as a member of the Los Angeles Kings.

3 With 27The Isles now have three players with at least 27 goals. Toronto is the only other team with three 27 goal scorers.Career YearsA number of Islanders are either close to or have assured themselves of career years in key offensive categories:

Home and RoadThe Isles are 29-34-12, and are 16-16-5 at home. They are 25-24-9 under Jack Capuano, including 24-16-7 in the last 47. Their 70 points is nine more than they managed in the entire 2008-09 season; they drop two points behind last season's pace.

The Thrashers are 31-30-12, and are 15-16-5 on the road. The Thrashers were 22-15-6 in early January but are 9-15-6 since then.

Sharing the WealthThe Isles are 24-16-7 in their last 47 games, and all six goalies that the Isles have used this season have wins during that stretch (Montoya 8, DiPietro 5, Roloson 4, Poulin 4, Koskinen 2, and Lawson 1).

In the NetsAl Montoya made 32 saves from drops to 8-4-4 on the season. He is tied with Rick DiPietro for the team lead in wins. Montoya has started ten of the last 11 games (6-2-2).

Chris Mason made 14 saves to improve to 11-10-3.

Power PlaysAtlanta entered the game with the NHL's worst penalty kill but the Islanders did not get a shot on any of their power play and went 0-4 on the power play while the Thrashers 1-3.

Fight NightThe game featured one scrap – Micheal Haley fought Mark Stuart. It was Haley's fifth fight of the season. He now has 73 penalty minutes in 20 NHL games this season.

Lots of BuffDustin Byufglien had five shots on goal. He also had four shots blocked by Islanders and six shots that missed the target.

In the Circle The Islanders won 29 of 54 (54%) face-offs. Zenon Konopka won 11 of 17.

Missing MenThe Isles announced on Tuesday that Mark Streit would not play this season, Mike Mottau, Trent Hunter, Kevin Poulin and Mark Eaton are out for the season, and Doug Weight remains out. Trevor Gillies served the final game of his 10-game suspension. The Isles have lost 518 games to injury and 25 games to suspension this season.

IronmenMatt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 157 games since joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have played every game this season; his 87-game streak includes the final 12 games last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 55 NHL games (all consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the Isles.

Cappy's First 58Jack Capuano drops to one game over NHL .500 with a 25-24-9 record. Only four other coaches in Islander history who coached at least 50 games have at least a .500 record (Al Arbour, Peter Laviolette, Steve Stirling, and Ted Nolan). Capuano has earned 59 standings points – more than any coach in Islander history who did not start the season behind the bench.

March to the FinishThe Isles are 6-2-4 in March. The 16 points in March is one shy of the 17 that they earned in 2005-06. They have not earned more than 17 points in March since 1988 when they earned 19 points in March.

Season Series StatsThe Thrashers win the season series 3 games to one and seven points to two. Atlanta sweeps the season series at the Coliseum for the second time in three seasons; they are 4-1-1 in their last six trips to Long Island.

No Shot(s)The 15 shots on goals are five fewer than the Isles have ever had against the Thrashers. The Isles had only 20 shots in the first game ever between the franchises, at the Coliseum on October 14, 1999. The 15 shots are the fewest the Isles have had at home since having 14 shots on goal in a 2-1 win over Anaheim on January 21, 2009.

Southeast TroubleThe Isles are 6-10-3 vs. the Southeast this season, but are 5-3-0 against Florida (2-2-0) and Tampa (3-1-0). They have losing records against Atlanta (1-2-1), Carolina (0-2-1), and Washington (0-3-1).

Happy Anniversary30 years ago today (March 21, 1981): In a battle between the two leading teams in the league, Bryan Trottier's hat trick leads the Isles to a 5-3 win in St. Louis. The win gives the Isles 101 points, one fewer than the Blues. The Isles would finish the season with a league-leading 110 points, en route to their second consecutive Stanley Cup.All-time, the Isles are 6-8-5 on this date.

Up NextSaturday, March 26 vs. Philadelphia 7:00pm[MSG+ (Subway Islanders Game Night at 6:30), WRHU 88.7FM]In recent years, no opponent has frustrated the Isles as much as the Philadelphia Flyers. The Isles are 1-15-4 against Philadelphia since February, 2008. This season the Flyers have won all four meetings, with the last three games being decided by a single goal. The Flyers have won both Coliseum tilts this season and are 9-1 in their last 10 trips to Long Island (Isles are 1-7-2 in same stretch).

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources. Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

John Tavares is on his way to leading the Islanders in scoring for the second straight season. With 60 points, he has a 12 point lead on PA Parenteau and Michael Grabner. No Islander forward has ever led the team in scoring in each of his first two NHL seasons. (Denis Potvin led the team in scoring in each of his first 4 seasons.)

His 34 assists are the most by an Isles forward since Alexi Yashin had 38 in 2005-06; he is the first Islander in four seasons to reach 60 points. He is averaging .85 points per game -- if he can improve that slightly he would have the highest point per game for an Islander forward since Yashin averaged .96 points per game in the 2001-02 season.

Tavares has gone three games without a point; he has had only one streak longer than that this season, going five games in early December. Those were the last five games of the Isles 5-18-5 start.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Season Series Stats (correcting for the opponent) The Isles win the season series three games to one, and six points to four. After going 2-6-2 in Tampa over the previous five seasons, the Isles sweep the two games in Tampa for the first time since the 2001-02 season and are 16-17-5 in Tampa all-time.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

"The Skinny"

By Eric Hornick

Game 74

Isles 5, Tampa Bay 2

Islander netminder Al Montoya made 36 saves, including 17 in the third period, as the Islanders rallied from an early 1-0 deficit and defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2, before 17,400 at the St. Pete Times Forum. With the victory, the Isles pass Florida for 13th place in the East and are now only two points behind Atlanta and New Jersey. The Isles, who won on the road in regulation for the first time since February 1st in Atlanta, have earned points in ten of their last 11 games (6-1-4).

Old Friend Strikes First

With former Islander Dwayne Roloson manning the crease for the first time against the Islanders since his New Year's Day trade, it was another former Islander who scored the game's opening goal.Nate Thompson beat Montoya just 61 seconds into the game for his 9th goal of the season.Three of his 13 career goals have come against the Islanders.

Bailey Gets Isles Even

Josh Bailey tied the score with a power play goal midway through the first period.It was his 11th goal of the season and his 5th with the man advantage.

2 in the Second

The 2nd period has been the Islanders' best for most of the season and tonight was no exception.Kyle Okposo scored at 5:16 of the session and Matt Martin made it 3-1 at 13:39. It was the 5th goal of the season for each player.Milan Jurcina earned his 2nd assist of the game on the Okposo goal; he now has a career high 13 assists this season.The Islanders have outscored their opponents 82-77 in the middle period; they have been outscored 122-153 in the rest of the game.

Special Teams Dominate Third

All three goals in the third period were scored on Lightning power plays.However, it was the Islanders who scored two of them.Frans Nielsen scored his league-leading 6th shorty at 8:08 of the third period; his seven shorthanded points share the league lead. The Bolts got back in the game on a power play tally by Domenic Moore midway through the period, but Michael Grabner cemented matters with a shorthanded empty-netter in the final minute for his team-leading 31st goal.Grabner now leads all rookies in goals (31), shorthanded goals (5) and shorthanded points (6).His 31 goals equals Bobby Ryan's total in 2008-09.No rookie has scored more goals since Evgeny Malkin had 33 in 2006-07. Grabner also assisted on Okposo's goal; he is now tied for second place among all rookies in points (48).5-2 Final.

Chasing Bobby Bourne

Frans Nielsen now has six shorthanded goals.Only one Islander has ever scored 7 shorthanded goals in a season: Bobby Bourne in 1980-81.

Most Shorthanded Goals by an Islander, Season

1.Bob Bourne7 in 1980-81

2.Frans Nielsen 6 in 2010-11

2.Shawn Bates 6 in 2002-03

2.Michael Peca 6 in 2001-02

2.Lorne Henning 6 in 1979-80

2.Anders Kallur 6 in 1976-77

Nielsen's Place in History

Nielsen now has 11 goals this season and six have come shorthanded.Since expansion, only five players have scored at least six shorthanded goals while scoring 13 or fewer total goals over a complete season.Two of the five (Shawn Bates and Lorne Henning) did so with the Islanders, Original Islander Terry Crisp did so before joining the team, while Tom Fitzgerald did it for the Panthers after leaving the Islanders.Only Gerry Minor, who did so for Vancouver in 1980-81 had no Islander connection.

Top 5

The Islanders have five players with at least 18 goals: Grabner 31, Moulson 30, Tavares 26, Comeau 20, and Parenteau 18.The quintet has combined for 125 of the Islanders' 204 goals (61%) this season.

200 Shot Club

Grabner finished with six shots on goal.He now has 204 shots on the season; the Islanders now have three players (Moulson and Tavares) with 200 shots in a season for the first time since 2006-07 (Blake, Satan and Yashin).No Islander rookie had recorded 200 shots in a season since David Volek had 229 in 1988-89.

Grabner's Chase of the Record Books

Most Goals, Islander Rookie

1.Mike Bossy 53 (1977-78)

2.Bryan Trottier 32 (1975-76)

3.Michael Grabner 31 (2010-11)

Grabner needs one goal to tie Trottier for second place on the all-time rookie goal scoring list.

Most Shots on Goal, Islander Rookie

1.Mike Bossy 235 (1977-78)

2.David Volek 229 (1988-89)

3.Denis Potvin 209 (1973-74)

4.Michael Grabner 204 (2010-11)

Grabner would need to average 4.0 shots per game to break Bossy's record.

Rookies Who Have Led Isles in Goals

1.Billy Harris - 28 in 1972-73,

2.Mike Bossy - 53 in 1977-78,

3.Trent Hunter -25 in 2003-04 (tied with Mariusz Czerkawski)

4.Kyle Okposo-18 in 2008-09.

Grabner now has the team lead with 31.

Second-Half Surge

The Islanders are 14-6-5 since the All-Star Break and are 24-15-7 in their last 46 games.The 55 points is the most that the Isles have earned in a 46 game stretch in a single season since late in the 2003-04 campaign.

A Great 14 Weeks

The Isles were 5-18-5 on the morning of December 16th.Since then, they are 24-15-7 for 55 points.Among Eastern Conference teams, only the Capitals (25-10-6 for 56 points) have more points during that stretch.

Growing Up Together

The Islanders have had five players record their 100th career point, all of them in Islander uniforms, this season.

·Frans Nielsen had a shorthanded goal.He now has 118 points (35-83-118), tops among healthy Islanders.

·Blake also has 116 career points (52-64-116).

·John Tavares has 114 points (50-64-114). He is the youngest player in Islander history to record 50 goals and the second youngest player (Bryan Trottier) to record 100 career points.

·Kyle Okposo's goal gives him 113 points (44-69-113).

·Veteran defender Radek Martinek has 100 career points (20-80-100)

With 229 points, Trent Hunter (injured) is the only player on the current roster to have recorded more points in an Islander uniform.

Matt Moulson has 106 career points; however, his first ten points came as a member of the Los Angeles Kings.

Home and Road

The Isles are 29-33-12, and are 13-18-7 on the road.They are 25-23-9 under Jack Capuano, including 24-15-7 in the last 46.Their 70 points is nine more than they managed in the entire 2008-09 season; they remain even with last season's pace.The Isles are within 4 games of NHL .500 for the first time since they were 4-8-2.The Isles, who won only 11 games on the road last season, are 11-7-4 in their last 22 road games after going 2-11-3 in their first 16 on the road.It is the first time since 2002-03 that they have earned 26 points in a 22-game road stretch.

The Lightning are 39-23-11, and are 22-10-5 at home. The Lightning were 19 games over NHL .500 at the end of February, but are 2-5-4 in March.

Sharing the Wealth

The Isles are 24-15-7 in their last 46 games, and all six goalies that the Isles have used this season have wins during that stretch (Montoya 8, DiPietro 5, Roloson 4, Poulin 4, Koskinen 2, and Lawson 1).

In the Nets

Al Montoya made 36 saves to improve to 8-3-4 on the season, tying Rick DiPietro for the team lead in wins.Montoya has started nine of the last ten games (6-1-2).

Dwayne Roloson made 23 saves but falls to 20-23-5. He is 14-10-4 with the Lightning.

Power Plays

The Islanders went 1-3 on the power play while the Lightning were 1-7. Tampa had five power plays in the third period, when they scored their power play goal but allowed two shorthanded goals.The Isles now lead the NHL with 13 SH goals while Tampa has allowed 15 SH goals (10 at home)—both totals lead the league.The Isles finish the road trip 2-14 on the power play and 17-21 on the penalty kill.However, the Isles offset the four power play goals that they allowed (three of which came in one game) by scoring four shorthanded goals.

Shorty Stats

The Isles scored two shorthanded goals in the third period, tying a club record done many times previously. It was the first time since April 18, 2006 that the Islanders scored two shorthanded goals in a period and the first time since November 4, 2008 (at MSG) that they have scored twice while shorthanded in a game. … The Isles, who also scored shorthanded on Saturday night, have scored three shortys in two games for the first time since November 3-4, 2008. … The Isles have scored 9 SH goals in their last 32 games, while allowing just one.… They have 13 SH goals this season—most since they had 17 in 2001-02. … The Isles last scored two shorthanded goals against Tampa on April 1, 1998.

In the Circle

The Islanders won 15 of 20 draws in the first period and 35 of 62 (58%) face-offs overall.Josh Bailey won ten of 14.

Missing Men

Mike Mottau, Trent Hunter, Kevin Poulin and Mark Eaton are out for the season. Mark Streit and Doug Weight remain out.Trevor Gillies served the ninth game of his 10-game suspension. The Isles have lost 512 games to injury and 25 games to suspension this season.

Ironmen

Matt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 156 games since joining the team last season.Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have played every game this season; his 86-game streak includes the final 12 games last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 54 NHL games (all consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the Isles.

Cappy's First 57

Jack Capuano improves to two games over NHL .500 with a 25-23-9 record. Only four other coaches in Islander history who coached at least 50 games have at least a .500 record (Al Arbour, Peter Laviolette, Steve Stirling, and Ted Nolan). Capuano has earned 59 standings points – more than any coach in Islander history who did not start the season behind the bench.

A Winning Trip

The Islanders have earned points in nine of their last 11 road games (5-4-2).Nine of the 11 games have been decided by a single goal, with the exception being last Tuesday's loss at the Garden and tonight's win.The Isles finish the road trip 2-1-2.

March to the Finish

The Isles are 6-1-4 in March.The 16 points in March is one shy of the 17 that they earned in 2005-06.They have not earned more than 17 points in March since 1988 when they earned 19 points in March.

Season Series Stats

The teams split the season series two games each, with the Panthers earning five points to the Islanders' four.The win breaks an eight game (0-7-1) Islanders winless streak in Sunrise, dating back to a 43 save effort by Mike Dunham in a 4-1 Isles win on November 18, 2006.

Long Islanders Doing Well in Florida?

The Isles are 6-9-3 vs. the Southeast this season, but are 5-3-0 against Florida(2-2-0) and Tampa (3-1-0).They are 1-1-1 vs. Atlanta, 0-2-1 vs. Carolina, and 0-3-1 vs. Washington.The Islanders win consecutive games on a Florida trip for the first time since opening the Peter Laviolette era with wins in Tampa and Florida on October 5-6, 2001.

Happy Anniversary

17 years ago today (March 22, 1994):Vladimir Malakhov scored with 1:01 to play in overtime as the Islanders rallied from a 4-0 deficit to defeat the Lightning 5-4 at the Coliseum.The Isles got two goals from Tom Kurvers in the final 2:16 of the second period and then got third period goals from Derek King and Steve Thomas to force overtime.

All-time, the Isles are 10-3-4 on this date including a 3-3 tie in Boston in 1984 in which Bryan Trottier tied the NHL record by scoring just five seconds into the game. Their 24 standings points on this date are the most that they have earned on any day in March.

Up Next

Thursday, March 24 vs. Atlanta 7:00pm

[MSG+ (Subway Islanders Game Night at 6:30), WRHU 88.7FM]

The Islanders return home to begin a two-game homestand against the Atlanta Thrashers.It will be the final meeting of the season between the squads; the Isles are 14-6-5 since the All-Star Break and it all started with a 4-1 win in Atlanta to kick off the unofficial second half.The Isles are 1-1-1 vs. the Thrashers this season and have outscored Atlanta 9-8.

Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Islander netminder Rick DiPietro, making his first appearance in 6 ½ weeks, stopped David Booth on a penalty shot in the last minute of overtime and then stopped two Panther tries in the shootout, while the Isles got shootout goals from Frans Nielsen and PA Parenteau to defeat the Florida Panthers 4-3 before 16,502 at Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. With the victory, the Isles tie Florida for 13th place in the East and remain ten points behind the 8th place Sabres. The Isles have earned points in nine of their last ten games (5-1-4). 30-30After a scoreless first period, Michael Grabner gave the Islanders the lead with a shorthanded tally 5:14 into the second period. It was the Isles' 11th shorthanded goal of the season, tying the Rangers for 2nd in the NHL behind Philadelphia (12). The goal was set up by a gorgeous pass from Frans Nielsen, who now has more career points than any other healthy Islander. Nielsen now has six shorthanded points this season; only Brandon Prust of the Rangers (7) has more. It was Grabner's 30th goal of the season, tying Matt Moulson for the team lead, and giving the Isles two 30-goal scorers for the first time since 2001-02 (Yashin-32, Parrish-30). Evgeni Davadov scored a pair of goals later in the session for the Panthers, to give Florida a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.Isles Bounce Back in the Third PA Parenteau tied the game with his 18th goal at 7:09 of the third off of the rebound of a Jack Hillen shot; less than three minutes later Grabner sprung Michael Haley and converted for his second career goal. However, for the second straight night the Islanders couldn't cement the win in regulation as Stephen Weiss beat DiPietro with 6:34 to play to force overtime. Weiss' goal denied the Isles a rare one-goal regulation win; they remain 1-12 in games decided in regulation by a single tally.DiPietro Stops BoothIn the final minute of overtime, Rick DiPietro was called upon to stop David Booth on a penalty shot, and he did. Booth had been hooked at by Andrew MacDonald and was awarded the pre-shootout shootout attempt with just 29 seconds to play in overtime. It was the first time the Isles had faced an overtime penalty shot since December 10, 2003 in New Jersey when Garth Snow stopped Patrik Elias. DiPietro has now faced a career-high four penalty shots this season and stopped them all:· Stopped Marian Gaborik [NYR] October 11, 2010· Stopped Evander Kane [ATL] December 11, 2010· Stopped Kris Letang [PIT] December 29, 2010· Stopped David Booth [FLA] March 19, 2011 (Overtime)

DiPietro has stopped 11 of 13 career penalty shots. He is the first NHL goalie to face four penalty shots in a season since 2008/09, when Cam Ward, Roberto Luongo and Kari Lehtonen each faced four. The last goaltenders to face four penalty shots in a season and stop them all were Evgeny Nabakov and Marty Turco, who each did so in 2007/08.Isles Win It in the ShootoutDiPietro was perfect in the shootout as well, stopping Mike Santorelli and Sergei Samsonov to improve to 19-10 all-time in shootouts. Frans Nielsen and PA Parenteau converted for the Isles to give them the victory. The Isles are now 12-12-12 in one goal games, including 11-12 in extra time (7-7 in OT and 4-5 in shootouts). 4-3 (SO) Final.Simply the BestFrans Nielsen is now 16-27 in his career in shootout attempts. His 59.3% is the best in NHL history among players who have scored at least 10 goals, just slightly ahead of Vyacheslav Kozlov (58.7%). Among active players, TJ Oshie of St. Louis has the next best percentage among players with at least 10 goals (57.9%). Top 5The Islanders have five players with at least 18 goals: Moulson 30, Grabner 30, Tavares 26, Comeau 20, and Parenteau 18. The quintet has combined for 124 of the Islanders' 199 goals (62%) this season.2 Until 200Grabner's goal came on his only shot on goal. He now has 198 shots on the season; with two more he will give the Islanders three players (Moulson and Tavares) with 200 shots in a season for the first time since 2006-07 (Blake, Satan and Yashin). No Islander rookie has recorded 200 shots in a season since David Volek had 229 in 1988-89.Grabner's Chase of the Record BooksMost Goals, Islander Rookie1. Mike Bossy 53 (1977-78)2. Bryan Trottier 32 (1975-76)3. Michael Grabner 30 (2010-11)Grabner needs two goals to tie Trottier for second place on the all-time rookie goal scoring list.Most Shots on Goal, Islander Rookie1. Mike Bossy 235 (1977-78)2. David Volek 229 (1988-89)3. Denis Potvin 209 (1973-74)4. Michael Grabner 198 (2010-11)Grabner would need to average 4.2 shots per game to break Bossy's record.Rookies Who Have Led Isles in Goals1. Billy Harris - 28 in 1972-73, 2. Mike Bossy - 53 in 1977-78, 3. Trent Hunter -25 in 2003-04 (tied with Mariusz Czerkawski) 4. Kyle Okposo-18 in 2008-09.Grabner is tied with Moulson for the team lead with 30.Second-Half SurgeThe Islanders are 13-6-5 since the All-Star Break and are 23-15-7 in their last 45 games. The 53 points is the most that the Isles have earned in a 45 game stretch in a single season since late in the 2003-04 campaign.A Great Three MonthsThe Isles were 5-18-5 on the morning of December 16th. Since then, they are 23-15-7 for 53 points. Among Eastern Conference teams, only the Capitals (24-10-6 for 54 points) have more points during that stretch.Never Say Die-landersThe Isles improve to 5-22-3 when trailing after two periods. After opening the season winless in their first 22 (0-20-2) when trailing through 40 minutes, they are 5-2-1 in the last eight games when trailing after two.Dropping the GlovesAfter a fairly quiet game through 55 minutes, there were two fights in the final five minutes of regulation. Blake Comeau fought Dmitry Kulikov and Bruno Gervais battled Ryan Carter. It was the first fight of Comeau's NHL career and Gervais' 4th.Growing Up TogetherThe Islanders have had five players record their 100th career point, all of them in Islander uniforms, this season.· Frans Nielsen had an assist. He now has 117 points (34-83-117).· Blake also has 116 career points (52-64-116).· John Tavares 114 points (50-64-114). He is the youngest player in Islander history to record 50 goals and the second youngest player (Bryan Trottier) to record 100 career points. · Kyle Okposo has 112 points (43-69-112). · Veteran defender Radek Martinek has 100 career points (20-80-100)With 229 points, Trent Hunter (injured) is the only player on the current roster to have recorded more points in an Islander uniform. Matt Moulson has 107 career points; however, his first ten points came as a member of the Los Angeles Kings. Home and RoadThe Isles are 27-33-12, and are 12-18-7 on the road. They are 24-23-9 under Jack Capuano, including 23-15-7 in the last 45. Their 68 points is seven more than they managed in the entire 2008-09 season; they are now even with last season's pace. It's the first time that they have been equal with last season's pace since they were 4-5-2 after 11 games.The Panthers are 29-33-10, and are 15-15-8 at home. Since reaching .500 on February 13, Florida has gone 5-9-3 in their last 17 games.Sharing the WealthThe Isles are 23-15-7 in their last 45 games, and all six goalies that the Isles have used this season have wins during that stretch (Montoya 7, DiPietro 5, Roloson 4, Poulin 4, Koskinen 2, and Lawson 1). In the NetsRick DiPietro made 29 saves as he broke a personal four game losing streak. He is now 8-10-4 on the season, breaking a tie with Al Montoya for the team lead in wins. Montoya had started eight straight games (5-1-2); he was the first Islander to do so since Joey MacDonald made 17 straight starts (8-8-1) from November 3-December 8, 2008. Scott Clemmensen made 18 saves as he dropped to 8-8-4. It was Clemmensen's first shootout against the Isles since the Easter Epic (4/8/2007) in which the Isles defeated Clemmensen to clinch their most recent playoff spot.Power PlaysThe Islanders went 0-3 on the power play while the Panthers were 0-2.In the CircleThe Islanders won 21 of 46 (46%) face-offs. Zenon Konopka won 3 of 5, while Josh Bailey won seven of 15. Missing MenMike Mottau, Trent Hunter, Kevin Poulin and Mark Eaton are out for the season. Mark Streit and Doug Weight remain out. Trevor Gillies served the eighth game of his 10-game suspension. The Isles have lost 506 games to injury and 24 games to suspension this season. IronmenMatt Moulson, the Isles' reigning ironman, has played in all 155 games since joining the team last season. Zenon Konopka is the only other Isle to have played every game this season; his 85-game streak includes the final 12 games last season for Tampa Bay. Travis Hamonic has now played 53 NHL games (all consecutive); he has the longest consecutive game streak on defense for the Isles. Cappy's First 56Jack Capuano is over NHL .500 with a 24-23-9 record. Only four other coaches in Islander history who coached at least 50 games have at least a .500 record (Al Arbour, Peter Laviolette, Steve Stirling, and Ted Nolan). Capuano has earned 57 standings points – more than any coach in Islander history who did not start the season behind the bench.Half-Full or Half-EmptyThe Islanders have earned points in eight of their last ten road games. Tonight's win was their fourth in those games [4-4-2]. Nine of the ten games have been decided by a single goal, with the exception being Tuesday's loss at the Garden. The Isles are 1-1-2 on their current five game road trip.March to the FinishThe Isles are 5-1-4 in March.Season Series StatsThe teams split the season series two games each, with the Panthers earning five points to the Islanders' four. The win breaks an eight game (0-7-1) Islanders winless streak in Sunrise, dating back to a 43 save effort by Mike Dunham in a 4-1 Isles win on November 18, 2006. Trouble Down SouthThe Isles are 5-9-3 vs. the Southeast this season: 1-1-1 vs. Atlanta, 0-2-1 vs. Carolina, 2-2-0 vs. Florida, 2-1-0 vs. Tampa and 0-3-1 vs. Washington.Happy Anniversary28 years ago today (March 19, 1983): Rookie Mats Hallin scores the only hat trick of his NHL career, tying the club rookie record by tallying three times against Bob Froese in a 9-2 Islander win over the Flyers. All-time, the Isles are 9-3-3 on this date including a 3-1 win over the Wild on 2004 in which Jason Blake scored all three goals.Up NextTuesday, March 22 @ Tampa Bay 7:30pm[MSG+2 (Subway Islanders Game Night at 7:00), WRHU 88.7FM]The Islanders conclude the road trip on Tuesday night in Tampa against the Lightning. It will be the first meeting of the teams since the New Year's Day trade that sent Dwayne Roloson to Tamps. The Isles lead the season series two games to one; John Tavares and Matt Moulson both have overtime goals against Tampa this season. The only Lightning win came on November 17th in Jack Capuano's NHL coaching debut. Eric Hornick has been the statistician on Islander home game telecasts since 1982. Information contained in "The Skinny" has been gathered from various sources.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick